Process for treating textile materials



F'IP8309 TIONOF TEXTILES iFBERS, 1936 on i} Patented Dec. 8,

UNITED STATES Jill t llvvnuu PATENT OFFICE PROCESS FOR TREATING TEXTILEMATERIALS notation of Ohio No Drawing.

Application November 20, 1934,

Serial No. 754,002

10 Claims.

In the treatment of textiles of various kinds for the market, varioustreatments are given to the materials that are developed into thread,yarn, and the like, as well as to the fabrics made from such thread,yarn, and the like, whereby to produce the various textile materials ofcommerce. In explaining the invention, it is proposed to explain theinvention in detail, as applied to products made out of cotton. It isalso proposed to supply in detail, one specific method and one specificcomposition of the matter that is utilized in practicing the invention.The nature of the invention is such that an explanation thereof inconnection with cotton goods specifically and the use of the process andcomposition of matter that will be set forth herein, will make obviousto those skilled in the art, that the invention is not limited totextile materials of cotton origin, or the specific steps of the processor to the specific compositions of matter emplayed for explaining theinvention.

In the making and treating of cotton products, for example, muslin, ofcommerce, the cotton fibers are first spun into thread. The thread isthen woven into fabric. This fabric at this stage is the unbleachedmuslin of commerce today. The invention proper has to do with thetreatment of unbleached muslins in one sense, although in another sense,the invention is properly applicable to the thread that is spun from thecotton fibers. The invention is preferably not used in connection withthread that is to be woven into fabric because it is preferable inconnection with the Weaving process,'that the tensile strength of thecotton be maintained at its maximum and the processes ordinarily used intreatng so-called unbleached muslin for producing white cotton goods ofcommerce, impairs the tensile strength of the thread and therefore theprocesses involving scouring, bleaching and the like, are deferred untilafter the thread has been woven into cloth. From the foregoing it shouldbe apparent, however, that the invention is applicable to thread that isnot intended for weaving, for example, the ordinary white cotton threadthat is used in connection with the sewing art, whether used for handwork or in connection with sewing machines.

The present practice is to take unbleached muslin and place it in akier, also spelled keir. A kier may generally be referred to as ascouring vat. At the time the unbleached muslin is placed in the kierthe cotton contains various foreign matter such as natural oils andgums. The invention will be explained in connection with the treatmentof the fabric in the kier, although not limited to use in the kier.

In the practices common at this time and upon which the herein describedinvention improves, the fabric is subjected to agents that remove someof the yellow coloring matter from the fabric. Thereafter, the fabric istaken from the kier and is subjected to what is known as a bleach, whichcomprises a suitable bath containing chlorine. Thereafter, the fabric issubjected to a so-called antichlorine treatment. The fabric is thensubjected to a so-called sour, or in other words, subjected to an acidtreatment or bath for neutralizing the alkaline condition present in thefabric. From this point on, various steps will vary in view of thenature of the finished article to be produced.

The invention has direct effect upon the treatment of fabric through thevarious steps between the kier treatment and the sour treatment, alsoupon some subsequent treatments.

The invention effects a reduction of the amount of bleaching materialrequired, reduces the time factor for treatment of the fabric, andinasmuch as the bleaching material weakens the tensile strength of thefabric, the product resultant from utilization of the invention providesa finished fabric that is stronger than the fabric that is produced bythe process commonly used today and which has been previously describedherein.

Briefly, the invention may be said to reside in the subjection of fabrictonascent hydrogen. The nascent hydrogen is produced in the kier and maybe created in any one of numerous manners and by use of varioussubstances that will react upon one another for providing the nascenthydrogen.

One satisfactory embodiment of the invention consists in adding to thecustomary kier boil solution of soap and alkali, of a quantity ofaluminum powder. It is to be understood that the fabric to be treatedhas been properly placed in the kier in accordance with the prevailingpractices, whereby the kier boil solution is caused to pass through thevarious layers of fabric that are built up in the kier. The practice isto produce pads or bats of fabric by folding succeeding lengths of thematerial back and forth, rather than to take the regular rolls or boltsof the material. The particular type of bat into which the fabric isdeveloped, is however, not one of the essential features of theinvention and this reference is made merely for illustrating in detail,a satisfactory and eificient method of practicing the invention.

The kier boil solution comprising soap, alkali, and the added aluminumpowder, is subjected to heat and pressure. Thispboiling process iscontinued for such time as may be necessary in view of the materialsworked upon, as well as the composition of the said kier boil solution.Very satisfactory results have been obtained in connection with cottongoods of the character indicated, that were subjected to kier boiling inthe composition as indicated, and which kier boiling varied from four toeight hours. After the indicated treatment in the kier, the fabric isremoved from the kier and is subjected to the usual chemic, sour,antichloride and washing treatments. As a result of the indicatedtreatment in the kier, it has been ascertained that it is possible toreduce the amount of time necessary for the kier boiling operation, thatthere is an improvement of whiteness of the material obtained, thatthere is attained a reduction in the amount of bleaching required, thatthere is an increased susceptibility of dyeing the product, that thereis a reduction in tensile loss, that there is a reduction in warpshrinkage, that there is a reduction in filling shrinkage, that there isa reduction in loss of weight, and that there is a decided improvementin finish and texture of the product.

The kier is first loaded or charged with fabric to be treated. Thenthere is introduced into the kier the determined amount of aluminumpowder or the like, that is to be used therein with the charges. Beforeclosing the kier, the necessary amount of water, alkali and soap is runinto the kier. The kier should then be closed and I merely to load thekier, and to make the calculations easier by having an even 100 yards ofmaterial undergoing treatment. The kier solution used comprisedapproximately 3% caustic, 3% soap, approximately 1% powdered aluminum ofthe weight of the load 30 lbs. of fabric, and approximately 186.48. lbs.of water. The 3% caustic approximated .91875 lb. or 416.745 grams; the3% soap approximated the same weight given for the 3% caustic; and the1% aluminum approximately .30625 lb. or 138.915 grams. The temperatureof the solution was maintained at or slightly above boiling temperaturefor eight hours.

In work done in connection with this invention it has been found thatall of the aluminum is not consumed, and also that very little changeoccurred in the kier solution after the fourth hour of the boiling step.It has been found that apparently it is more important to maintain anapproximately constant boiling temperature, than to maintain a constantpressure condition. It has been found, however, that very satisfactoryresults are capable of being attained by maintaining a constant pressurecondition and permitting the temperature to drop somewhat from theboiling point after an hour or two of treatment of the material in thekier solution at approximately boiling temperature. It has beenascertained that it is possible to obtain satisfactory results whenusing 0.25% of aluminum instead of 1% aluminum and by maintaining thetemperature constant without regard to the pressure, and providing thekier solution is kept at a boiling temperature for a sufficiently longperiod of time, which apparently should approximate four hours. Boilingin excess of four hours apparently has no detrimental effect.

As a result of various tests made, and one of which is set forth indetail in the preceding parts hereof, it has been determined that theinvention may be satisfactorily practiced by means of the followingprocess or formula: To a charge of approximately 116 yards of unbleachedcotton cloth, weighing approximately 30 lbs., use a kier boil solutionof:

Sodium hydroxide weight of charge- 3% Soap (commercial soap flakes suchas Werkrite flakes) do 3% Aluminum powder do 0.25 to 1% Soft water(186.48 pounds) 1iters 84 Kier boil time hrs 4 to 8 Maintaining kiersolution boiling at "degrees F" 212 to 220 Pressure in kier lbs. plus 15The aluminum and soap are preferably added to the kier first, and thealkali and water are run in jost before closing the kier. After the kierboiling is finished, there is followed the usual procedure of bleachingand finishing, as previously mentioned.

The practice of the herein described invention apparently causes thepowdered metal to liberate the resultant nascent hydrogen, therebyassisting whitening or bleaching by a reducing rather than by anoxidizing reaction of bleaching.

In view of the foregoing disclosure, it will be ing with the beneficialresults previously enumerated.

By way of illustration of substances other than cotton fabric or muslinthat may be' treated by means of the invention, attention is directed tocotton thread which may be treated for uses as previously explained,linen, Woolen material, silks, et cetera. Examples of metals other thanaluminum that may be used are zinc, tin, or metals of like characterthat will react with any one or more alkaline solutions to liberatenascent hydrogen.

In view of the disclosures made herein, it should be obvious that therecan be added to soap the necessary desired amount of powdered aluminumor other metal so that upon subsequent introduction of the metalcontaining soap into the kier, the desired solution can be obtained bymere admixture therewith of the necessary amount of water and caustic.It will also be evident that the soap, and aluminum or other metalpowder, may be compounded in suitable manners so that same will comprisea stable product that can be introduced into a kier, whereupon theadmixture of the necessary amount of water and caustic will sme ma tDVEING; Fluid TREATMENT & CHEWHCAL some- F IEXHLES & FIBERS,

provide the desired solution. In connection with a product of thecharacter last described, care must be taken to avoid moisture or waterbeing added to the mixture before the time it is to be used in the kierbecause of the reaction that might otherwise result from the caustic andmetal powder, with the result that the desired reaction in the kierwould not be as efiicacious, should the hydrogen be converted prior tothe creation of the kier boil solution in the vat.

The invention is not limited in its use to the treatment of textilematerials in the process of initial production of textile materials forthe market, but is adaptable to various other industrial and otherapplications for example, in laundry work. In laundry work, the washingsolution would correspond with the kier boil solution and would besupplemented accordingly.

In some instances it may be found desirable to first subject the textilematerial to the ordinary kier boil operation as heretofore practiced andto then subject the textile material to nascent hydrogen. Under thisorder of treatment, there would be used a solution comprising a metalthat would react to an alkaline or an acid agent for providing nascenthydrogen, for example, acetic acid and aluminum or caustic and aluminum.The treatment could be given in the kier by draining the kier boilsolution and then introducing the hydrogen supplying bath into the kier,or such treatment could be given in a different vat or the like.

In some instances it might be found desirable to subject the textilematerial to the nascent hydrogen, in the sour or other treatmentsfollowing the kier boil treatment. The invention is explained herein inconnection with the kier boil operation because by so doing the timenecessary for the kier boil operation is reduced, and because theinvention readily fits into this phase of the processing of textilematerials.

The soap used, and which is referred to herein as Werkrite flakes, is a42 titer (titre) 92% neutral tallow soap. The soap serves primarily as alubricant and the invention is to beunderstood as disclosing any soapthat will function in like manner in the presence of the othersubstances enumerated in explaining the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. The process of treating material of textile fiber, comprisingenclosing said material in a pressure chamber, maintaining pressurewithin said chamber and boiling the material in a bath comprisingconstituents for supplying nascent hydrogen to the material during thetreating thereof.

2. The process of supplying nascent hydrogen to materials of textilefiber, while boiling said materials under a condition of pressuremaintained by enclosing the boiling mass in a suitable pressure chamber.

3-. The process of subjecting textile material to pressure and nascenthydrogen during boiling of the textile material.

4. The process of treating textile material under pressure, in apressure chamber, with a composition comprising water, a metal adaptedto react for providing nascent hydrogen and a chemical agent forreaction with the metal for providing nascent hydrogen.

5. The process of treating cotton textile ma-. terial which comprisessupplying nascent hydrogen to the material while boiling said materialin a closed pressure chamber and under pressure.

6. The process of treating cotton textile material comprising boilingthe cotton material for approximately four hours under pressure in asolution of water, sodium hydroxide, neutral ta1 low soap and aluminumpowder, the sodium hydroxide comprising approximately 3% by weight ofthe charge of thread and/or fabric, the soap comprising approximately 3%of the charge of thread and/or fabric, and the aluminum powdercomprising approximately 0.25% to 1% of the weight of the charge ofthread and/or fabric.

7. The process of treating materials of the class of thread and fabricscomprising boiling same in a pressure chamber for approximately fourhours in a solution of water, sodium hydroxide, soap and aluminumpowder, the sodium hydroxide comprising approximately 3% by weight ofthe charge of thread and/or fabric, the soap comprising approximately 3%of the charge of thread and/or fabric, and the aluminum powdercomprising approximately 0.25% to 1% of the weight of the charge ofthread and/or fabric.

8. The process of scouring and whitening textile materials comprisingenclosing the textile material in a pressure chamber and boiling thematerial in the pressure chamber in a solution of water, alkali, soap,and a metal adapted to react during boiling of the solution forproducing nascent hydrogen in the solution.

9. The process of treating textile fabrics under pressure in a pressurechamber with a composition comprising water, acid, and a metal adaptedto react for producing nascent hydrogen, and maintaining a temperaturethereof at approximately boiling temperature for a period ofapproximately four hours.

10. The process of treating textile fabric in a closed atmosphere andunder pressure, with nascent hydrogen, and controlling liberation of thenascent hydrogen by control of the heat and pressure employed in theprocess.

ROWLAND MAGIIL.

